On and off screen, Dame Elizabeth Taylor enchanted the world with her acting, style, philanthropy, and advocacy. When actor Rock Hudson, who was her dearest friend, died of AIDS, Taylor heightened awareness to a then unknown disease. Taylor has raised/given more money to research in AIDS than all of her films gross combined.
Mr. Kato, we promise to continue the fight in your honor and in honor of the many we have lost in the battle for equal rights.
Ugandan activist, David Kato was beaten to death in his home this past week. Hundreds of mourners gathered at his funeral wearing t-shirts with an image of his face. Unfortunately, his funeral drew anti-gay protesters who disrespected Kato’s family, friends, and supporters by shouting homophobic rhetoric.
Our hearts are heavy with this loss. Kato died, but his legacy will continue in the fight for Gays and Lesbians who deserve the freedom to love.
Nestor Berchot, only 45, died after collapsing at his wedding. High blood pressure contributed to his passing out and eventually dying hours later. He is survived by his husband, Adrian Garcia. They were one of the first Gay couples to be legally married in Argentina.
For his widow, we wish he could of had longer time with his love Nestor, but he died a happily married man. Our hearts go out to Mr. Garcia, friends, and family of Mr. Berchot.
From her obituary, part of it included: “Horne’s long-suppressed anger over the treatment of blacks in white society erupted in 1960 when she overheard a drunk white man at the Luau restaurant in Beverly Hills refer to her using a racial epithet. Jumping up, she threw an ashtray, a table lamp and several glasses at him, cutting the man’s forehead. When reports of her outburst appeared in newspapers across the country, Horne was surprised at the positive response, mostly from African Americans. ‘Phone calls and telegrams came in from all over,’ she told the Christian Science Monitor in 1984. ‘It was the first time it struck me that black people related to each other in bigger ways than I realized.’ In the early ’60s, Horne became more active in the civil rights movement, participating in a meeting with prominent blacks in 1963 with then-Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy in the wake of violence in Birmingham, Ala., and singing at civil rights rallies.”
Frank and I are very fortunate to have many mother figures in our lives. Five years ago on Mother’s day weekend, I lost one of them. She was a music teacher, a very close friend, and to many of us students, she was like a mom. Her name was Lynette K. Mulder and she was so beautiful. She died due to complications from LUPUS at the young age of 36, she would have been 41 today. We will always remember her as young, beautiful, and a teacher who did whatever she could, and even broke the rules because it was the right thing to do in the best interest of the students. We know we have an angel who watches over us and still tells us to go the distance, cope and deal, and live every day as your last. I was so happy that she met my husband Frank before she died, we miss you Lynette. The following is from when she directed me and my friends in the Eisenhower Express showchoir. If you look close enough behind the ‘Eisenhower Express’ backdrop you can see her directing the band.
Dorothy Height overcame adversity at a time when African-Americans were not granted equal rights. Her last name reflects how she soared went in life. When many women, no matter what race, did not commonly continue education past high school or lower, Height received a masters degree in educational psychology from NYU in 1933!
Ms. Dorothy Height witnessed every civil rights march and of course participated as well. She was a top advisor to many. Height had the attention of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Eisenhower, and President Johnson. What truly touched us was that she advised Elizabeth Birch, former president of the HRC for LGBT rights when ENDA had its initial vote in ‘96.
Height died at 98 on April 20th. She witnessed woman and African-Americans fight for their rights when they had little to then see an African-American man become President of the United States. Because of people like Dorothy Height, a legacy will be left full of leaders and citizens of all genders, races, creeds, colors, and religions, a who will continue to work together to create a more perfect union.
Mr. Kato, we promise to continue the fight in your honor and in honor of the many we have lost in the battle for equal rights.
Nestor Berchot, only 45, died after collapsing at his wedding. High blood pressure contributed to his passing out and eventually dying hours later. He is survived by his husband, Adrian Garcia. They were one of the first Gay couples to be legally married in Argentina.
Dorothy Height overcame adversity at a time when African-Americans were not granted equal rights. Her last name reflects how she soared went in life. When many women, no matter what race, did not commonly continue education past high school or lower, Height received a masters degree in educational psychology from NYU in 1933!
